52 Pick Up Challenge
by Shorlixa
Summary: The fics I'm writing in response to the 52 Pick Up challenge at tsukimineshrine. Mainly short, oneshot pieces.
1. Mirror

**A Flawed Mirror**

They say a best friend is like a mirror, reflecting your flaws and merits without prejudice. But Tomoyo was different, capable of only reflecting one thing: Sakura's genki face.

If Tomoyo had been a real mirror, a skilled craftsman might have detected the flaw beneath its polished surface. A crack that would slowly grow over time, until the mirror shattered into a million pieces. For Tomoyo had a flaw. She loved Sakura.

The love was carefully hidden beneath the façade of a best friend. As her best friend she laughed and smiled with Sakura, reflecting only her happiness and joy. And that was why she could not be a true mirror, for she could only see the smiling face of Sakura.

Just like she saw it now. The sweet, beautiful girl smiling quizzically at her, asking, "What's wrong Tomoyo-chan?"

'There's nobody here.' The thought flashed across her mind, the two of them were alone, and without thinking she leaned forward and kissed that smiling face. The kiss was desperate and fleeting, a small taste of what she would never have. And then she opened her eyes to see solemn green orbs looking at her and the illusion was shattered.

"Don't tell Sakura." She whispered, sounding like the broken girl she had become.

"I won't." Sakura's voice had finally said, "But what will I tell the Mistress?"

"Just...just say I brought over some cookies. I'm sure Kero will enjoy them." Her lips twitched into a faint smile that never reached her tired eyes.

"Ok." Mirror nodded with Sakura's head, smiled with Sakura's face, and even her taste was what she had imagined...But she wasn't Sakura.

"I have to go now." She turned to leave, and Sakura's familiar hand caught her shoulders.

"Will you be okay?" Those solemn eyes, that serious tone...no, Mirror was nothing like Sakura after all. And yet for one brief moment, she had been.

"I will be." Tomoyo answered, the lie spilling easily from her lips, as she gave a reassuring smile that was as false as her words. Shrugging off the hand, she headed home.

As Tomoyo walked, she reflected on the circumstances that had led her here.

_She had baked some cookies...she had headed over to Sakura's place...Sakura wasn't around, there was a magical problem to deal with...she had left Mirror in her place..._

Sakura hadn't called her.

That thought had hurt the most.

Suddenly, she realised she was home and walked into her empty house. Her mother was at another meeting, and the housekeeper had an urgent family matter. There were only her bodyguards, keeping discreetly out of sight as she had ordered.

In the privacy of her room she looked at herself in the mirror. The Tomoyo that had been Sakura's best friend, the Tomoyo that loved her unconditionally and without prejudice...that Tomoyo was gone. Even as she still tasted Sakura on her lips, she knew that it had not been Sakura, just like the girl in the mirror was no longer Tomoyo.

Staring at the mirror, she began to practice her lines. "Ohayo _Sa_kura-chan. O_ha_yo Sakura-chan." Over and over she practiced until she finally sounded like Sakura's best friend, and not the woman who loved her.


	2. Snow

**Cry Without Tears**

_It was snowing again._

He always remembered when it snowed.

_It was the last time he had seen his master._

The grief was always the greatest when it snowed.

_The pain slowly spread, until the only thing he could feel was the anguish of his soul._

Yet he could not cry. Clow Reed's creations could not cry.

But as he stood in the falling snow, the white flakes melted on his warm face and ran down his cheeks, giving the illusion of tears.

And so he cried the only way he knew how, weeping in his heart, with the snow acting as his tears.


	3. Create

**Telling Tales**

'Telling tales,' Yamazaki reflected, 'is really a lot harder than many people think.'

After all, it's not everyone who can pull a tall tale out of his hat. And if someone else had made the previous statement, he would have lifted a finger and interjected with "Do you know why people say 'pulling tall tales out of a hat'? That's because in ancient times, tale tellers would walk around the country wearing extremely tall hats to attract attention, announcing to everyone that they had a tale to tell. And when the people came asking for their tale, they would take off their hat and pull out the tale they had kept hidden inside it.

About this time, Chiharu would have intervened, tugging at his earlobe, which really smarted quite badly, and dragging him away with a "Hai hai..."

The trick to it, was simply to believe in the tale you were creating. It didn't matter if it wasn't true (after all, history was just literature with facts thrown in, and not always accurate ones at that). All you had to do was believe it was true. The simple belief in the tale would give it an amount of earnestness, just enough to convince people like Sakura-chan and Li-kun.

It was always worth it to see Sakura's expression change from her complete faith in his tales to her confused "hoe?" when someone pointed out that he was lying, and quite outrageously at that.

And that Li-kun. He was as gullible as Sakura, and he meant that in the nicest possible way. Not for the first time, Yamazaki wondered what kind of sheltered upbringing the Chinese boy must have had to believe so wholeheartedly in the tales he told.

And that was why he would go on creating more stories. The world was serious enough as it is. Yamazaki saw no benefit in going along with it. What better way to spice it up than with some humorous anecdotes?

Besides, which storyteller doesn't like so willing an audience?

So despite the sacrifices his ear would make, he would continue creating more outlandish stories for the joy of the world. After all, the show must go on.

And so, he lifted that trademark finger in the air and began. "Hey, did you know that in ancient times..."


	4. Return

**Hitsugen**

"Return." The word was whispered, the magic was cast, and the old woman found herself back on the bustling streets of Toemeda.

She walked slowly, her frail body now much too weak to move quickly. She had been fast and athletic once, her body fit and nimble, running and weaving through the crowd. But those days were over.

There. She had always known she would have to return some day, ever since that fateful meeting so long ago.

She hesitated, looking around, searching her ancient memory. It had been so long ago, she could barely remember. Then, she saw the Sakura tree and smiled. Seating herself on the bench, she waited, the gentle breeze ruffling her silvery-gray hair, and causing the many pink petals to drift gently onto the ground.

A young girl took a seat next to her, looking at the cherry blossom tree wistfully, a troubled look in those emerald orbs. She sighed and simply sat there, starring sightlessly at the passing crowd.

"You look worried little girl. What's wrong?" The old woman finally asked, after she sighed a third time. She snapped her head left so swiftly that her brown bangs made an audible swish through the air.

"Gomen. You startled me." She apologized sincerely. Then she sighed again before continuing. "It's just, I have a really big decision to make. My boyfriend asked me to marry him."

The old woman hid a sad smile and instead asked another question. "Do you love him?"

"Of course!" Was the immediate reply, "but marriage is a serious issue. I have to make sure I'm not being impulsive."

"What does your family think?"

"Oni-chan is absolutely furious about it naturally. The way he acts, it's like I'm still 12 instead of 21. I'm old enough to make my own decisions. Otou-san just told me to listen to my heart and decide."

"They both love you very much."

Emerald eyes looked startled as the old woman mentioned that. "I know that too. It's just, Oni-chan is being rather difficult..." Her voice trailed off.

"There's something else too isn't there." The woman queried gently. Once more, the girl was surprised.

"Yes, yes there is. You're very perceptive Obassan." She answered, and the old woman simply gave a faint smile.

"I'm afraid of hurting two of my best friends." The confession came softly, like a hurried whisper, anxious about being overheard. "One of them is in love with my boyfriend. The other is in love...with me."

For several long moments, nothing could be heard save the rustling of the leaves.

"Love is knowing when to let go." The old woman finally said, and her voice clearly spoke from experience. "I'm sure that since they love the both of you, they would want the both of you to be happy."

"I know you're right, but I really don't want to hurt them."

"But they already know the two of you are together and love each other very much. If they have sacrificed their love for you to allow the two of you to be together, then there's no reason to hesitate now." The woman answered wisely.

"But..."

"No more buts. Listen to your heart. What does it say?" The woman ordered firmly.

"It, it says I want to marry him."

"Then do. And cherish every moment you have with him, and cherish your friends as well, for all they have done for you. Don't hesitate to show your love for them. Every moment is precious."

"You're right." The girl finally decided. "I do love him, and I want to marry him. My friends have known that before I even did. I guess they won't start minding now."

The girl turned to the old woman, smiling her beautiful, radiant smile. "Thank you for listening. I don't even know why I poured my heart out to a stranger."

And the old woman merely gave her a faint smile. "But I'm not a stranger Sakura. Remember what I said. Cherish every moment."

"How do you know my name?" But it was too late for any questions, and emerald eyes simply looked on in shock as the old woman faded away.

As the world swirled around her, the old woman merely gave a tired smile. The Return card flew back into her hands, cold as the magic fled from it. "Thank you." She whispered, a tear dropping silently from her eyes.

"How do I know you Sakura?" The old woman whispered as she slowly stood up and began the long walk home. "I am you."

The same emerald eyes looked upon the world now, at the dead tree stump in front of her. So many things had changed.

She had always wondered who that strange obbaassan was, the one who had finally given her that spur of courage to say 'I do.' It was only so many years later, when she looked at herself in the mirror and saw the woman staring back at her.

How could she have missed it? The woman had had the same emerald eyes as her...


End file.
